Marissa_Sheva
Marissa Sheva
Irish footballer (born 1997)
Marissa Maeve Sheva (born 22 April 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for NWSL club Portland Thorns.[2] Born and raised in the United States to an American father and an Irish-American mother, she is capped for the Republic of Ireland women's national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marissa Maeve Sheva[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1997-04-22) 22 April 1997 (age 27) | ||
| Place of birth | Sellersville, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Portland Thorns FC | ||
| Number | 27 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Penn Fusion | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2018 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 92 | (13) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020 | Deportivo Alavés Gloriosas | 1 | (0) |
| 2020 | Utah Royals FC | 0 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Washington Spirit | 18 | (0) |
| 2024– | Portland Thorns FC | 1 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023– | Republic of Ireland | 7 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 May 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 August 2023 | |||
Sheva graduated from Pennridge High School. While she was in high school, she was a state champion in the 1600m and 3200m. She competed at Foot Locker Cross Country Nationals
Sheva played college soccer at Pennsylvania State University and as a freshman was a 2015 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament champion. She was a two-sport athlete and despite concluding her soccer career in 2018 with 13 goals in 92 appearances, she did not enter the 2019 NWSL College Draft due to finishing her track commitments.[3]
Sheva joined Deportivo Alavés Gloriosas of Spain's Segunda División Pro in February 2020.[4] After a single 11-minute substitute appearance,[5] she left shortly afterwards to attend Utah Royals FC's preseason training camp. She was signed on as a rookie ahead of the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup.[6]
Hip surgery ruled Sheva out of the 2021 season, but she joined Washington Spirit during their 2022 season.[7] Initially signed as a short-term COVID-19 replacement player, she was later reclassified as an injury replacement player, then a national team replacement player, before being given an active roster slot in August 2022. After making eight NWSL appearances (three starts) in 2022, she was given a new one-year professional contract by the club in November of that year.[8]
Sheva alerted the Football Association of Ireland to her eligibility for the Republic of Ireland women's national football team and was called up to a training camp in Marbella in February 2023.[9][10] Her maternal grandparents came from County Donegal and County Tyrone.[11] Sheva won her first cap as a half-time substitute for Abbie Larkin in a 0–0 friendly draw with China, staged at Estadio Nuevo Mirador, Algeciras, on 22 February 2023.[12]
In April 2023 Sheva started Ireland's next two fixtures, both against the United States. Sheva played on the left wing, having made her debut on the right wing. Although beaten in both games, the performance of the team and Sheva individually were viewed as encouraging by coach Pauw ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.[13]
Club
- As of match played 15 October 2023
| Club | Season | League | Cup[lower-alpha 1] | Playoffs[lower-alpha 2] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Deportivo Alavés Gloriosas | 2019–20 | Segunda División Pro | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Utah Royals FC | 2020 | NWSL | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Washington Spirit | 2022 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| 2023 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 13 | 1 | ||||
| Career total | 19 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 | ||
- Includes the NWSL Challenge Cup
- Includes NWSL Playoffs
International
- As of match played 11 April 2023
| National team | Year | Apps |
|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland | 2023 | 3 |
| Total | 3 | |
Penn State Nittany Lions
- "Marissa Sheva". Penn State Nittany Lions. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- "NWSLBucks County native Marissa Sheva signs with Portland Thorns". Philadelphia Soccer Now. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- Robinson, Andrew (21 June 2020). "Pennridge's Sheva making her mark on soccer field". The Reporter (Lansdale). Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- Davidson, Jim (3 February 2020). "Penn State Women's Soccer Alumna Marissa Sheva Signs With Deportivo Alavés". Onward State. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- Lyons, Otis (19 June 2020). "Former Penn State Women's Soccer Midfielder Marissa Sheva Joins NWSL's Utah Royals". Onward State. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- "Marissa Sheva Back in the NWSL". Pennsylvania State University. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- "Washington Spirit Re-Signs Midfielder Marissa Sheva". Washington Spirit. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- Tannenwald, Jonathan (4 March 2023). "Bucks County native Marissa Sheva plays for the Republic of Ireland women's soccer team". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- Duffy, Emma (16 February 2023). "Irish connections, NWSL and athletics background and chasing the World Cup dream". The42.ie. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- "New faces called up to Ireland squad - who are Aoife Mannion & Marissa Sheva". Her Sport. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- Pyne, Anthony (23 February 2023). "Sheva hoping for another Ireland shot on American soil". RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- Kelly, David (13 April 2013). "Athletic nature and work ethic helping Marissa Sheva secure ticket to World Cup". Irish Independent. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- Penn State profile
- Marissa Sheva at Soccerway